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SERVING THE RICH

IN MY DAUGHTER’S MOVIE, “MY FATHER THE GENIUS”, I AM SEEN STOMPING AROUND IN THE BACK YARD OF THE NELSONS’ NEW HOUSE COMPLAINING ABOUT SERVING THE RICH. THE NELSONS ARE SAINTLY COMPARED TO THE RUN OF THE MILL RICH. BUT THEY DEFINITELY HAVE THEIR LIMITS.

MY WIFE SAYS, WHY ARE YOU SO OPPOSED TO THE RICH? THEY PUT IT TOGETHER TO GET THE MONEY, DO NOT BE NEGATIVE TOWARDS THEM.

NELSON'S POOL AND HOUSE IN THE BACKYARD, SANTA MONICA CALIFORNIA, 2000

IN ARCHITECTURE THE RICH ARE THE CLIENTS, THEY CALL THE SHOTS. BEING REJECTED BY THE RICH HAS LEFT ME A DAMAGED SOUL. THE MAIN REASON IS THAT THERE IS SO MUCH GOOD THAT CAN BE BUILT WITH THEIR MONEY TO BETTER THE WORLD. I READ IN TIME MAGAZINE THAT ARCHITECT PIANO, THE RICH DARLING OF WHAT IS CORRECT IN ARCHITECTURE, WANTS TO DO PUBLIC HOUSING, BUT HAS NOT. A TALENTED FORMER STUDENT OF MINE, THAT SPECIALIZES IN PUBLIC HOUSING FOR YEARS CANNOT IMPLEMENT GOOD DESIGN, BECAUSE OF THE RICH DEVELOPERS CALLING THE SHOTS. THERE IS A GAP BETWEEN WHAT COULD BE AND THE RICH. BUILDINGS REQUIRE OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY. THE LARGER COMPLEXES REQUIRING MULTIPLE MONEY SOURCES. SO THE ARCHITECT IS THE CONDUCTOR OR CHAUFFEUR FOR THE MONEY, HOPING NOT TO GET FIRED. AS POINTED OUT TO ME BY A POWERFUL CLIENT, ARCHITECTS ARE EXPENDABLE. THEY COME IN ALL SHAPES, SIZES AND TALENT. THE RICH PRIDING THEMSELVES ON HOW GOOD OF A SHOPPER THEY ARE TO GET THE RIGHT ARCHITECT. A BIT OF A CHALLENGE WHICH THEY ARE NOT UP TO TASK OF DOING.

THE RICH ARE FRIGHTENED TO DEATH ABOUT ASSOCIATING WITH ME: I DO NOT RESPECT MONEY AS A GOD. SITTING ON A SANDY BEACH IS MORE REAL FOR ME THAN SAILING IN A YACHT. FLYING IN THEIR PRIVATE PLANES IS NO BIG DEAL, NOR BEING IN A CRAMPED LAMBORGHINI. ALTHOUGH I LIKE BEING ON A YACHT, IT IS NOT THAT IMPORTANT. THE RICH LIKE TO BE AROUND PEOPLE THAT RELATE TO THEIR VALUE SYSTEM. I COULDN’T CARE LESS THAT THEIR SHIRT WAS CUSTOM MADE. I COULD TAKE THEM TO WALMART AND GET A CLOSE DUPLICATE AT A FRACTION OF THE PRICE, BUT THAT WOULD NOT RECEIVE THE STATUS THEY WANT BY SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY THAT SEPARATES THEM FROM THE PACK. AT AN ARCHITECTURAL PARTY I MEET A WOMAN THAT CLAIMED SHE ALMOST COMMITTED SUICIDE BECAUSE SHE HAD A DOWNTURN IN FINANCES THAT DID NOT ALLOW HER TO RETAIN HER MAID AND BUTLER.

THE WHOLE IDEA BEHIND FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT HAVING APPRENTICES COMING TOGETHER FOR A FORMAL EVENING ONCE A WEEK WAS TO TEACH THEM THE ASPECTS OF LIFE THAT THE RICH LOVE. CHIT CHAT, MANNERS, FORMAL CLOTHES, WINE, FOOD, PLAYS, ETC. ARCHITECTS SHOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE AROUND PEOPLE WITH MONEY. AFTER ALL THE RICH SPONSOR BUILDINGS. IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO, AND WHEN YOU READ ABOUT PAXTON AND THE THE CRYSTAL PALACE. THE MONEY MAN USED PAXTON TO CREATE A DREAM.

A BROKE INTERIOR DESIGNER FRIEND OF MINE WOULD RENT A FANCY CAR TO VISIT HER CLIENT. LIKEWISE AN ARCHITECT FRIEND OF MINE COMING OFF A DIVORCE WITH A REGULAR CAR, RENTS A CLASSY CAR TO MEET WITH CLIENTS. THE RICH FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH PEOPLE THAT RESPECT MONEY.

ARCHITECTURE IS A RICH MAN’S GAME. JUST THE MENTION OF AN ARCHITECT SENDS VIBRATION OUT ABOUT SPENDING MORE MONEY. MOST CONTRACTORS CAN MEET THE BANAL TASTES OF THE RICH. LAWS REQUIRE ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES ON LARGER PROJECTS. A NECESSARY EVIL FOR MOST DEVELOPERS. RICH DOES NOT MEAN SOPHISTICATED OR CULTURED IT JUST MEANS THEY HAVE A LOT OF MONEY. THEIR TASTE IS THEIRS AND THEY FEEL PRIVILEGED TO SPEND MONEY ON WHAT THEY LIKE.

IN NICARAGUA LABOR IS CHEAP. YOU CAN GET A WELDER FOR SEVEN DOLLARS A DAY. THE EXPENSE OF MATERIALS IS ROUGHLY THE SAME FOR NORMAL CONSTRUCTION VS ARCHITECTURAL CREATIVE DESIGN. A SIMPLE EXAMPLE BEING A CURVED WALL. A SMALL FRACTION OF THE LABOR COST BEING MORE TO DO THE CURVE IS A CONVINCING ARGUMENT TO NOT TRY ADVENTURESOME DESIGNS. IT IS RATIONALIZATION TO NOT VARY FROM THE NORM, BUT I THINK THE RICH DO NOT WANT SOMETHING DIFFERENT. EVEN IF THEY CAN AFFORD IT. THEY WILL LAVISH EXPENSIVE MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT ON THE PROJECT TO DEMONSTRATE THEY ARE WEALTHY. GRANITE COUNTER TOPS FROM THE LOCAL REGION VS SOME FAR OFF LAND GRANITE THAT COST SOME ASTRONOMICAL AMOUNT IS A MUST TO SHOW OFF HOW WEALTHY ONE IS.

SINCE MAKING CHOICES IS DIFFICULT FOR MANY OF THE RICH, THEY RELY ON BRANDS, STAMPS OF APPROVAL, AND OTHER PEOPLES RECOMMENDATIONS. BUT AT THE SAME TIME WANT TO TELL THE WORLD THEY ARE SPECIAL. I RECENTLY GOT A GLIMPSE FROM A HUSTLER FRIEND OF MINE THAT WEARS A FIVE THOUSAND DOLLAR WATCH. I LOOKED AT MY WALMART FIVE DOLLAR WATCH WITH THE BLACK BACKGROUND AND CIRCULAR FACE WITH CHROME FINISH AND LEATHER STRAP AND FELT THE WALMART DESIGN WAS BETTER THAN HIS SIMILAR $5000 VERSION. IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH KEEPING TIME, BOTH WATCHES WERE THE SAME. IT DOES NOT STOP THERE, WITH HIS BETTER THAN I POD AND $100 SHIRTS. ALL REALLY MEANT TO SHOW THE WORLD HE IS RICH, WHICH HE IS NOT. HIS EXPLANATION OF LEAVING THE WATCH IN HIS WILL, SEEMED SHALLOW. HERE IS A GUY THAT DESPERATELY WANTS TO BE ACCEPTED BY THE RICH AND DOES ALL HE CAN TO PLAY THEIR GAME.

ARCHITECTS ARE EDUCATED AND TRAINED TO BE VISUALLY SENSITIVE. THIS CREATES AN UNDERSTANDING THAT FEW ARE PRIVILEGED TO. THUS IT IS WEIRD TO BE RARIFIED TO VISUAL TASTES TOWARDS WHICH OTHERS ARE CLUELESS. DIPLOMACY IS THE KEY TO EDUCATING IGNORANT CLIENTS. A TRAIT I FIND BLOCKING DIRECT CONVERSATION. THERE MUST BE A TRUST AND RESPECT FROM THE CLIENT TO ACCEPT VISUAL ADVICE. THE ULTIMATE BEING WHEN THE ARCHITECT CAPTURES THE POSITIVE DESIRES OF THE CLIENT AND INCORPORTES THAT TO PRODUCE A FINISHED PRODUCT.

WHEN AN ARCHITECT HAS SUPER STAR STATUS THEY CAN CALL THE SHOTS, AND THE CLIENT FOLLOWS, BUT MOST PEOPLE DEEP DOWN CONSIDER THEMSELVES ARCHITECTS, AND THEIR TASTE IS WHAT IS IMPORTANT. THE RICH FEELING ENTITLED TO CHANGE THINGS EVEN WITH ARCHITECTURAL ART PIECES IF THEY CHOOSE TO DO SO. A GOOD EXAMPLE BEING JOHN JOHANSEN MONUMENT HOUSE TORN DOWN BY PHIL DONOHEW ,THE LIBERAL TALK SHOW HOST.

I HAD A SUPER RICH CLIENT TELL ME THAT THE KEY TO BEING PROSPEROUS, WHEN CREATIVE LIKE MYSELF AND INEPT WITH MONEY, WAS TO LATCH ONTO A MONEY PERSON TO PROPEL MYSELF FOWARD.

THAT HAPPENED WHEN I DID MY BIG PROJECTS IN NICARAGUA. THE MAYOR HERTY WAS A MONEY MAN. HE COULD WHEEL AND DEAL TO MOVE MONEY TO BUILD ANYTHING. ALL THAT I NEEDED TO DO WAS FURNISH HIM WITH VISIONS OF WHAT COULD BE AND HE SOLD THEM TO THE RICH.

I AM ASTOUNDED AT RICH PEOPLE HAVING PROBLEMS. THEY ARE FOREVER COMPLAINING ABOUT LOVE AND RESPECT. AND DO THE DUMBEST THINGS LIKE COMMITTING SUICIDE OR OVERDOSING.

ALL THE ATTENTION GIVEN TO THE SPOILED RICH AND FAMOUS SPEAKS OF THE VALUES OF THE SOCIETY. WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO GET WACKED OUT, WHEN WITH YOUR MONEY YOU COULD HELP OTHERS BY BUILDING COMPLEXES, TOWNS AND CITIES TO ENRICH THE LIVES OF EVERYBODY. THEY LACK VISION AND MORALS. I AM ENVIOUS OF THEM HAVING FUCK YOU MONEY THAT ALLOWS THEM TO DO ANYTHING THEY WANT. I COULD DO SO MUCH GOOD WITH THEIR MONEY. THEY SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON SHRINKS, WHEN MANY OF THEIR PROBLEMS COULD BE SOLVED BY HELPING OTHERS. HEALTH BEING THE EQUALIZER THAT TOUCHES EVERYONE, RICH OR POOR. I PITY THOSE THAT ABUSE THEIR WEALTH AND I FIND THEM DISGUSTING. WHICH IS PROBABLY WHY I HAVE A CHIP ON MY SHOULDER WHEN I AM AROUND THEM.

ARCHITECTURE AS PRACTICED IS A SERVICE PROFESSION MEETING THE WISHES OF THE RICH. NOW IF THE RICH HAVE A LACK OF BOLD POSITIVE IDEAS THEN THERE WILL NOT BE PROJECTS BETTERING MANKIND. THE WORLD CANNOT WAIT AROUND FOR THE RICH TO GET WITH IT, THERE IS A LOT TO DO THAT NEEDS AN EXPONENTIAL CHART OF IMPLEMENTATION. IF THE POOR ARE LEFT OUT OF THE EQUATION, REVOLT HAPPENS. THE POINT BEING THAT THOSE WITH THE GOLD SHOULD LOOK FOR CREATIVE WAYS TO SERVE THE NEEDS OF THE WORLD. WARREN BUFFET SAYS THE GATES GIVE AWAY MONEY RIGHT. I SENT A LARGE PACKAGE TO BILL GATES YEARS AGO WITH NOT EVEN A NOTE BACK OF RECEIVING. ALSO A PACKAGE TO BRAD PITT WITH NO WORD BACK. I MUST BE THE DEVIL WITH THESE PEOPLE. OR THEY PUT IN PLACE A TON OF SCREENS TO REMOVE THEMSELVES FROM ME.

THE USA ELECTS PRESIDENTS THAT THEY THINK WILL HAVE A BEER WITH THEM. OBAMA, CLINTON, BUSH, REAGAN. AND THE FIRST THING THEY DO IS HAVE THEIR WIVES BUY DESIGNER CLOTHES FOR THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR THEIR INAUGURATION BALL. OH, BECAUSE IT IS EXPECTED OF THE OFFICE. THEIR INTERESTS ARE THE RICH. JERRY BROWN MADE AN ATTEMPT AS FIRST GOVERNOR IN CALIFORNIA TO DRIVE A COMMON CAR AND LIVE IN AN APARTMENT. I HEARD RECENTLY CONGRESS GETS ACCUSTOMED TO LIVING WELL WITH THE LAVISH MONEY SPENT ON THEM BY LOBBYISTS. IN NO TIME AT ALL THE GOODIES BECOME IMPORTANT. I HAVE FORMER STUDENTS HELL BENT ON PUTTING THEIR KIDS IN EXPENSIVE PRIVATE SCHOOLS. WHERE DOES THIS LEAD? EDUCATION WITHOUT MORAL PRINCIPLES IS JUST LEARNING A TRADE.

HOW DOES THIS ALL AFFECT ARCHITECTURE? BIG TIME. HOW WILL WE EVOLVE TO A HIGHER GLOBAL STATE IF NOT EVERYONE IS INCLUDED. TAKE ANY SCALE: TOWN, CITY, STATE, COUNTRY, CONTINENT, WORLD. ARCHITECTURE IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF EVERYONE’S LIFE. THE ONLY ARCHITECT THAT I AM AWARE OF THAT CLAIMS TO BE A COMMUNIST IS OSCAR NEIMEYER. THERE WAS A COMMUNIST FRIEND OF MINE, THE LATE RICK DAVIDSON THAT DID A LOT OF SOCIAL PROJECTS, BUT LACKED THE SKILL TO PULL OFF SIGNIFICANT DESIGN. FILL ME IN, I WOULD LOVE TO DESIGN PUBLIC PROJECTS FOR THE GOOD OF HUMANITY THAT ARE SENSUOUS ECOLOGICAL TURNED ON PLACES . THE BARE MINIMUM JUST CREATES SLUMS, AND A FEELING OF NO SELF WORTH. IT TAKES AN EDUCATED PERSON TO APPRECIATE AND INTERACT WITH THE MINIMUM.

ALL SOCIAL MOVEMENTS RELY ON EDUCATION. I WAS RAISED TO HATE COMMUNISTS. IT WAS NOT UNTIL THE LATE ALVIN BOYARSKY, MY PROFESSOR AT OREGON AND HEAD OF THE AA IN LONDON, TOLD ME COMMUNISTS WERE GOOD, THAT I STARTED TO QUESTION MY EDUCATION. IN NICARAGUA IN 1986 AND 1987 THERE WAS A SPIRIT TO BUILD A COUNTRY FOR THE OVERALL GOOD OF HUMANITY. I FELT A PART OF THIS, BUT IT WAS SHORT LIVED WITH ELECTIONS OF THE RIGHT WING SPONSORED BY THE CIA. TO PROPERLY EDUCATE THE PUBLIC WITH ALL VIEWPOINTS DISCUSSED IN A RATIONAL INTELLIGENT WAY IS DIFFICULT. THE POWERS WANTING CONTROL INTERRUPT HONEST EDUCATION. SO THAT IS WHY THE INTERNET IS SO POWERFUL WITH UNLIMITED ACCESS. WHAT IS SAD IS THAT PORNOGRAPHY DOMINATES THE INTERNET HITS. THE REAL FRUSTRATION OF THE SOCIETY. HOW TRAGIC.

IN NICARAGUA THE COMPUTER IS THE GREAT RESOURCE TO EDUCATION, BUT WHAT IS DONE WITH THAT TOOL IS WHAT COUNTS. I AM NOT SURE IF THERE IS A RATIONAL EVOLUTION PRESENTED TO THE WORLD TO COME TOGETHER, BUT THE TOOLS ARE IN PLACE TO DO SO.

THROUGHOUT WESTERN HISTORY THE RICH HAVE CALLED THE SHOTS. THE SECOND INGREDIENT BEING POWER , THEY GO HAND IN HAND. I AM CONVINCED GREED IS A HUGE MOTIVATOR IN SOCIETY, IF GREED IS INTERRUPTED THEN REVOLUTION WILL FOLLOW. IN RECENT HISTORY THE IRON CURTIN CAME DOWN UNDER THE FLOOD OF CAPITALISM. RECENT RUMBLING S OF THE POOR BEING HELD DOWN HAVE SET THE PENDULUM THE OTHER WAY WITH THE PEOPLE GAINING POWER IN LATIN AND SOUTH AMERICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST. HOW TO USE GREED AS A POSITIVE MOTIVATOR IS THE CHALLENGE. IT SEEMS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE IN THE MODERN WORLD TO BE CONTENT WITH SIMPLE THINGS. INVENTION SPREADS DESIRE.

IT SEEMS SO OBVIOUS THAT IF THE RICH WANT TO STAY IN POWER, THEY MUST HAVE POSITIVE PROGRAMS FOR THE POOR, INCLUDING ARCHITECTURE. ARCHITECTURE ALONE CANNOT CHANGE THINGS. THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THE ARCHITECTURE CREATE THE WELL BEING. THE FAMOUS CHICAGO HIGH RISES FOR PUBLIC HOUSING THAT BECAME NIGHTMARES FOR LIVING ,WERE JUDGED USELESS AND BLOWN UP. I AM NOT CONVINCED THAT THE ARCHITECTURE WAS THE FAULT . I KNOW IF I LIVED THERE WITH INTELLECTUALS OF LIKE MIND, IT WOULD BE WELL MAINTAINED AND RESPECTED. THE GROUNDS LUSH WITH LANDSCAPE, GARDENS, PLAY SCULPTURE AND RECREATION. WHAT WAS LACKING WAS THE EDUCATION OF THE INHABITANTS. EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO COMING TO GRIPS WITH THE NEEDS, BUT THE RICH HOLD THE KEYS TO THAT EDUCATION AND IT IS NOT IN THEIR INTERESTS TO BE QUESTIONED INTELLECTUALLY. SO IGNORANCE OF THE POPULOUS WILL PREVAIL UNTIL THE POPULOUS KNOW TOO MUCH, WHICH MIGHT BE TOO LATE.

MY FRUSTRATION DRIVES ME TO SEEK ISOLATION. BACK TO THE BASICS OF LIVING MEAGERLY IN SOME BEAUTIFUL NATURAL SURROUNDINGS. WHICH TAKES ME OUT OF THE GAME. I GET PLEASURE FROM SIMPLE FOODS, LIKE CORN ON THE COB, ARTICHOKES, BAKED POTATOES AND BARBEQUE CHICKEN. ALL IN SEASON FOR A PITTANCE OF RESTAUARANT COSTS COMPARED TO HOME COOKING. NOW THAT IS PLEASURE FOR ME BACKED UP WITH MY RECORD COLLECTION. BEING A DESIGNER AND A WEEKEND CARPENTER I CAN TAKE ALMOST ANY MATERIAL AND SPACE AND TURN IT INTO AN ART PIECE TO TO SURROUND ME. THIS TAKES ME OUT OF THE GAME, BUT THANKS TO THE INTERNET I AM A VOICE TO BE HEARD.

WHERE ARE THE RICH THAT WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE OREGON DUCKS FOOTBALL AND MY ARCHITECTURE? CONTACT ME I: I AM READY TO SERVE THE RICH.

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13 comments

You sound happy and confident and that is great. Enjoyed this post immensely.

FYI We sold our money pit/soulkiller of a house in Los Angeles and moved to a wonderful community up north. This place has everything L.A. USED TO HAVE–creativity, diversity, and individuality. We’ve done more in a month here than we’d done in year’s previous and have already made friends.

Change is inevitable but directing that change toward what truly feeds us is optional. Sounds like we have both landed on our feet!

GLAD TO SEE SOMEBODY READS THE BLOG. YOU ARE THE FIRST TO COMMENT IN OVER TWO MONTHS. YOU SOUND LIKE YOU ARE IN HEAVEN IN YOUR NEW COMMUNITY. I KNOW THE FEELING WHEN MY FAMILY MOVED FROM LA TO OREGON IN 1990.

MY PROBLEM IS THAT PARADISE USUALLY IN NOT VERY MOTIVATED TO THINK ANEW TO SUPPORT MY IDEAS. I HOPE YOU DO BETTER WHERE EVER YOU MOVED TO.

I THINK I WILL DO A FOLLOW UP ON SERVING THE RICH, IT IS MUCH DEEPER THAN WHAT I ESPOSED ON THE LAST BLOG.

Here in Los Angeles there is a wealth of materials thrown away or abandoned to make anything. Abandoned houses to fix-up are everywhere. Move in, take over, move-on. Steal. If money is the obstacle, your obstacle, to building. eliminate the need for money. Design for the poor. Design around ‘collective labor’ where time and labor is the trade for money. , you work – you have a place. Scavenge materials, make your own, steal.

F Scott Fitzgerald wrote that the Rich are different from other people. Yeah they have more things. So. Take it from them. Removed from his house, away from his car, stripped of the nice clothes , a man is still a man, naked – physically the same as anyone else. Steal from the rich. Steal from the banks. The rich have nothing to lose but money, the poor have everything to gain.

A LITTLE CUT AND DRIED. THE GREAT EQUALIZER,WHEN I WAS IN THE ARMY IN BOOT CAMP, THAT STRIPPED THE HAIR, CLOTHES AND CARS AWAY FROM EVERYONE. WE WERE ALL COMMITTED TO KILL IN THE NAME OF THE USA.

SO MUCH WASTE. THE TRASH CANS OF THE WEST SIDE IN LA COULD FEED, CLOTH, AND EQUIP THREE TIMES AS MANY PEOPLE AS THE PEOPLE THROWING THE STUFF AWAY.

THE USA REFUSES TO DEAL WITH THE DYSFUNCTIONAL OTHER THAN THROWING THEM IN JAIL, ANOTHER PILE OF MONEY FOR THE RICH RUNNING AND EQUIPPING THE PENAL SYSTEM . BUT WATCH OUT, WHEN THE EDUCATED, LIKE ERIC TAKE ON THE RICH, YOU HAVE ENLIGHTENED SOULS LEADING THE WAY. WHICH IS A HUGE DRAW TO THOSE THAT KNOW TOO MUCH AND ARE SUPPRESSED .

I HOPE YOU ARE USING YOUR ARCHITECTURAL SKILLS IN RENOVATING THE ABANDONED. SO MUCH FUN. IF LEFT IN A PILE OF WASTE, I KNOW I WOULD HAVE A GREAT TIME CONSTRUCTING HIGH END DESIGN.

Hey glenn I have read all the blogs and really like the stuff in detroit, the renderings are great. I do renderings in the computer and have been trying to achieve this hand quality you and guys like lebbeus woods do so well…realism (or dramatic eye candy realism is quite boring frankly)

Your blogs have been running parallel with my life, but like advise from someone that could be my parent (its a little strange really). I think about something, then read your blog and you cover it and give a story (personal and this one). So man you aint wasting time.

I have determined there are two type of rich – 1) inherited 2) money maker. When I first started architecture I could never understand why some rich were so stingy and others flambouyant. I have come to find the stingy ones are usually type 1 (inheritors) who actually are less profitable than say their parents were and manage to subsist on interrest gains that pay mortgages obtained using trust funds as collaterol. These rich although stingy sometime do appreciate “culture” and social obligations. The money makers are always 1 in a million personalities, one of kind crazy people usually, these people are hit or miss.

Anyway some of your phrasing and sentences regarding often touchpy subjects crack me up (good thing)

AS YOU CAN TELL I AM A TORTURED SOUL THAT WANTS TO DANCE WITH ARCHITECTURE, BUT NO ONE WILL DANCE WITH ME. .

I TOOK A TRIP TODAY IN MANAGUA, NICARAGUA OF THE PROJECTS I HAVE DONE HERE. MY WIFE DOING HER BEST TO TRY AND GET ME TO SEE THE POSITIVE SIDE. IN THIS CASE THE RICH IS THE PRESENT GOVERNMENT. THEY DO THEIR DARNEST TO HAVE IT THEIR WAY. BUT THAT IS THE WAY WITH THE RICH. THOSE THAT HAVE THE GOLD CALL THE SHOTS. , MY WIFE TELLS ME TO KEEP MY THOUGHTS TO MYSELF. SO I WILL HONOR HER REQUEST AND HOWL TO THE MOON.

DRAWING IS A POWERFUL TOOL, MY BLOG MAN TIM BARNS URGED ME TO JUST DRAW ALL DAY OF PROJECTS OF MY INTEREST. A WISE RECOMMENDATION. BUT EVERY SINCE THE FIFTH GRADE WHERE ONE STUDENT WAS DRAWING EVERYTHING GREAT, I THINK HE ENDED UP IN DISNEY, AND I WAS DOING MY DAREST BUT NEVER MATCHED HIS SKILLS I HAVE FELT INSECURE ABOUT MY DRAWING SKILLS. I DRAW MAINLY TO GET MY IDEAS ACROSS. I WILL DO MORE BLOGS WITH MY DRAWINGS, A SAVE WAY TO CONNECT.

I REREAD YOUR COMMENTS ON THE RICH. I WENT BACK AND USED YOUR OBSERVATION OF INHEITED AND EARNING TYPE. I THINK YOU ARE RIGHT. THE RISK TAKERS ARE THE SELF MADE. JOHN LAUTNER HAD CLIENTS LIKE THESE THAT RELATED TO THE RUGGED INDIVIDUAL

you have no idea on the parellels, it’s quite possible you and are just decades apart, and that’s our only difference.

i was forwarded your blog from a fellow grad student at Penn when I kept a blog while attending Penn, calling it like it is, and just getting in trouble. I didin’t think anyone would actually read what I was writing, deleted most damaging reports.

also, you as an all american (or in Kurt Vonnegut’s world – stanard american) summarize a lot of matching world experiend (albeit I spent first year in NIgeria and 12 years in germany)

my parents met at Christ for the Nations in Texas and i’m a missionary child who could draw like a champ in grade school, but not like Johynny F. who eventually went to college and won an old Mustang all decked out…but same time i was picking up POV Ray (a script based rendering program)… in my small town I was one of 4 to take calculus, all the rest really smart girls.

anyway, your wife is right. my wife is right, lots of times. my wife is half columbian and half american irish. i screw up a lot, but my wife loved bundy from married with children, larry david, and ari gold on entourage…so i lucke out…she loves honest guys who just screw things up for the sake of the truth.

my father like i will take the whole ship down if it means respecting the truth. rich people don’t respect this, because the truth for rich peoples desires is far beyond honest good wholesome love for the fellow man, it’s essentially disquised narscissism…and thru your post that’s your disdain for the rich. it’s their masked pursuits, their desires to serve themselves. the silly thing of course is, if the rich made everyone feel only a slight bit richer everyone would love them. most dont’ get this.

Glen keep up the good posts and work.

the age of the internet has kind of squelched the editor who thinks its correct to publish what those in power respect.

the internet had made us all even.

the honest man like yourself is naturlally one level above most, the game has been changed, it’s eventual, but people will realize your great contibution to architecture. Rizzoli can only promote bull shit for so long you know.

But we humble architects could form one now and I believe the first order of business is to adopt method of protection.

long story short, met this guy at an architecture office party (grand master richard b. lenchus) who said he was a draftsman on the lincoln center, nyc back in the day…some war story about this undulating wall, you old guys crack me up with these drafting design war stories…anyway from his book “Coney Island Sensai”:

A good ole “Louisville Slugger” would be great for self defense…nice, heavy, hard oak, with a good balance and feel to it when you swing. GET A MIT TOO. Just for looks. You’re not going out to play baseball, but, no one will stop someone with a bat and a mit. They’ll stop a person carrying a Samurai Sword strapped to his or her back, but, not an old man with a bat, a golf club, or cane.

I read your blogs now and then but I think this is my first time responding.

I think that it’s safe to say that you and I strongly disagree about architecture’s importance in the world. We do agree in that architecture is one of the many aspects of life that is governed by the powers that be. In our capitalist economy, where profit reigns supreme, there is precious little room for beauty unless it meets the goals and whims of capitalism. When beauty is found in architecture, it is most often seen in the homes and buildings of those who can afford such excess.

Assuming you were not in dire straits, if the joneses (fictitious wealthy and powerful client) came to you with a commission for a 15,000 s.f. home with a budget of $1,000 per square foot in the Hollywood Hills, with carte blanche on design, would you take it? Most architects I know, including you, would jump at the chance, particularly during this economic trough.

And then you, or whomever, would proceed to create a monument to the Joneses’ wealth and status…. and to your design abilities. Is that good architecture? Is this our mission as architects?

I cannot change the world through whatever you deem my architecture to be, and neither can you through your architecture. If the world must be changed, it must be through other means. In my case, the decent, modest, high-density housing for families who would otherwise live at the mercy of slumlords, simply lets me sleep well at night. No curves, no exotic materials, no cerebral machinations… it just works. Architecture puts bread on my table and would easily be substituted by being a bicycle mechanic or a carpenter. When not bound by the constraints of profit and greed and all related evils, then we will have room to fly, as architects, as artists, bicycle mechanics.

Dear Glen, I am from Nicaragua and I recall hearing that you had moved to Nicaragua. I want to be one of your disciples. Right now I am living in Southern California studying for my ARE’s hoping to become licensed so I can do things a lot differently than these buiding codes as an ends-minded-bottomline-minded-scared to death of losing their contracts with the rich-minded-afraid of being sued so they bow to the mediocre whims of the rich-minded architects. I got a Masters from UCLA and even though I have worked for the worst corporate architecture environments that capitalism has to offer, I have always been a bit of a rebel. I want to return to Nicaragua and teach software to students, so they can compete with the best from USA, Europe, Asia, Latin America, etc…